One in Adelphi, Maryland, one in Wildwood, Florida, one at the US National Arboretum with a grandfatherly interest in many more around the DC area (unless noted, pictures are taken the day of post)

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Magnolia denudata: this is as subtle as two 50' trees covered with 1,000's of 6" flowers can be (Asian Collection USNA)

Magnolias and Cherries everywhere, and drifts of daffodils, and masses of Forsythia; spring is no time for the blushing violet! As much as I enjoy gaudy over-the-top display, I feel sorry for the subtle effects that get passed by in the rush of spring. I drive home every day on the Baltimore Washington Parkway and the flowers of Acer rubrum, the Red Maple are brilliant in the median and alongside the road. The swelling buds on the Weeping Katsura in the Asian Collections glow an orangey red even on a cloudy day, so colorful they seem lit from inside. In Fern Valley the buds on the Spicebushes begin to open with hints of gold to come. Swelling catkins of various Corylus luminesce a bright greenish yellow. All wonderful, but all pale before the onslaught of Cherries, Magnolias, Flowering Apricots, Crabapples, Rhododendrons, and Azaleas.

About Me

I am the horticulturist for the Asian Collections at the US National Arboretum. Before entering public horticulture, I designed garden locally. Karen and I garden at our houses in Adelphi, Maryland and Wildwood, Florida. I'm nearing retirement and adjusting to the idea of leaving my gardens in Adelphi and at the Arboretum.